Held annually at Zion National Park in Utah, U.S., Red Bull Rampage is the world's biggest freeride MTB event and famous for hosting the most popular riders, who use the weekend to showcase their death-defying skills. However, at the 2025 edition, several riders were injured, including and most seriously Insta360 athlete Adolf Silva, who has been a core biking partner since 2024.
In the finals on October 19, Silva under-rotated while attempting a double backflip drop down a steep section of the trail and landed badly. He was quickly taken to a nearby hospital by the medical professionals stationed on site. It wasn't until several days later that the severity of the impact was truly made clear: Silva broke his T2 and T3 vertebrae in the impact, with T4, T5, and T6 dislocated, resulting in total paralysis from the chest down.
This isn't the first time Silva has been grievously hurt during a competition. In July 2019, he broke his femur when competing at Loosefest XL, and once spent 10 days in an induced coma following a crash. After both of these occasions, he fearlessly got back on his bike and returned to smashing records—however, this time, the situation is a lot more serious.
According to the non-profit Road2Recovery, which fundraises for and assists injured extreme sports athletes, Silva will require an extensive rehabilitation period of daily therapy, as well as adaptive equipment and home adjustments, alongside other medical expenses.
So far, thousands of fans, fellow riders, and sponsors have donated to Silva in this tough period, but more is needed to get him all the help he needs. Insta360 encourages everyone to join us in sending their support and donate to Adolf Silva here.
The Insta360 Vision Awards supported by Leica are now open. Join creators worldwide for a chance to win from an US$80,000+ prize pool, including Leica cameras and Insta360 gear.
Got a story to share? Email yours to communitystories@insta360.com and win up to US$50.
%20(1).svg)
%20(1).svg)
.svg)
